Blue-Haired Muslim

Chapter 10: Soccer

     News spread fast that Iman was to play against Kassem. Sam watched as a couple of older gentlemen wearing prayer caps with Jamaican flags on them decided to walk past him. One of the men stopped and watched Kassem juggle a soccer ball with his feet. He pursed his lips and glanced at his friend before saying, 

     "It's Friday and I'm getting prayer and a show. It's a good day to be at the mosque, isn't it Adam?" 

     "That's Dr. Abdul Wahab's boy, right, Sebastian? I hope Sister Iman gets a couple good tackles in before destroying him on the field. He's a little snot, that's what he is. Can't stand the doc either. He's always thinking that he's better than the rest of the crowd," Adam scoffed. 

     "Why are there so many people here?" Sam wondered out loud. 

     "Well, a bunch of people tend to come to the mosque early on Friday since we have collective Friday prayers. They heard that someone was taking on Kassem and it just happened to be Sister Iman, who doesn't get along with Kassem's dad either. That's like Eid for us," Daehan explained.

     "Wait, what? What's Eid?" Sam asked in confusion.

     "We have two major holidays a year. They're called Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. One comes after the month of Ramadan in which we fast for 30 days and the other after Hajj, our holiest of pilgrimages. It's kind of like Christmas for us," Sven explained. 

     "Oh, okay. I know about Ramadan. I made my dad breakfast before sunrise for the 30 days and I know about Hajj because my dad's been saving every dollar he can to make the journey," Sam nodded. They weren't rich, but even Sam set aside some of his allowance for his dad's life wish to go to Makkah, Saudi Arabia to complete a pillar of his faith. He knew how much the entire trip would mean to Max, which was why he had decided that when he got a job, his first duty would be to fulfill that wish for him. 

     "You already know quite a bit about our religion, dude. That's pretty awesome," Sven smiled before holding up his fist to Sam. Sam nodded and bumped his fist against Sven's before focusing on the field again. There seemed to be some wort of commotion at the center of the field. Iman had made her way to the center and now crossed her arms across her chest as Kassem flailed his arms wildly. 

     "You can't be serious, Sister Iman!" Kassem roared.

     "You should have no problem beating these girls. They are the ones who wanted to share the field with you, so naturally, they will play," Iman pointed out. Shaylah stood next to Iman and looked a little nervous. She glanced at the adult and then at Kassem before looking at the rest of the small team. 

     "I'm not playing with these kids," Kassem scoffed. His team members murmured in agreement before being cut off by Shaylah. 

     "You're already playing with kids. You're the oldest one here. Either play or go home. We're not asking for special treatment, just equality. First one to score two goals, wins," Shaylah said confidently. 

     "Alright, let's get this over with," Kassem growled. Sam watched as Kassem's team began to warm-up and then went to their positions. Meanwhile, Iman steered the young girls to their positions and motioned for them to stay put. Iman placed her hand on Shaylah's shoulder and steered her to the side to have a word with her. Shaylah stood a few feet away from Sam, allowing the teen to hear every word of encouragement Iman said. 

     "You're a great soccer player, Shaylah. I know because your mother always likes sharing how many goals you have scored. I'll be your right hand, but this game is all yours. Show the boys that you are every bit as good as them, and probably even better," Iman said in encouragement before giving the girl a hug. Shaylah nodded and tied her hair back before running back onto the field.